BUSAN (Yonhap) -- The leader of the main opposition Democratic United Party said Wednesday her party is not seeking to immediately scrap the free trade agreement with the United States set to take effect later this week.
DUP Chairwoman Han Myeong-sook said the party opposes the pact, but will first push for a "renegotiation" with the U.S. after it gains a majority in parliament in next month's elections and takes power in the December presidential vote.
The stance is softer than the party's minor alliance partner Unified Progressive Party (UPP), which has called for scrapping what it has called a "humiliating deal" that favors American interests.
The two parties agreed last week to join forces for the upcoming polls to avoid dividing their votes in key marginal constituencies, promising to conduct joint campaigns on main election pledges.
The alliance raised concerns among conservatives that the main opposition DUP could be swayed by the progressive party's left-leaning principles on security issues, including its calls for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Korea.
During a visit to the southern port city of Busan, a traditional conservative base, Han said her party will push to improve ties with North Korea, but does not plan to call for the immediate withdrawal of American troops.
"(The withdrawal of U.S. troops) cannot be immediately done. There should be public consensus even after the reunification (of two Koreas)," Han said in a panel debate with journalists from local broadcasting stations.
"The DUP agrees that we should be able to defend ourselves independently, but we differs on the time and method (of American military withdrawal with the UPP)," she said.
About 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea as a deterrent to North Korea, as a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War that ended in a truce.